Humm
The last decade has been a golden age of discovery in neuroscience, leading to technological breakthroughs that are now translating into new scalable cognitive enhancement solutions. Three trends in particular are fueling interest in elevating our brain’s capabilities with safe technology that is targeted and chemical / substance-free.
Firstly, the world’s older population continues to grow at an unprecedented rate (forecasted to double to 2 billion by 2050) with massive societal implications, including a rise in age-related diseases and reductions in cognitive performance. To reduce the burden of expanding healthcare costs and losses in productivity, societies must focus on extending healthspan and enabling individuals to work longer. This is not just a public health issue — lost productivity has a large impact on the global economy.
Secondly, ageing baby boomers and genX have contributed to a multi-$Bn consumer brain health market, despite most brain training and supplements being largely unvalidated — i.e. there is limited evidence of any ROI on the billions spent.
Thirdly, young knowledge workers have driven the multi billion cognitive enhancement market, seeking to boost their performance in demanding work environments (through behavioral hacks, energy drinks or the abuse of substances like Adderall).
Combining those trends across adult populations, there is a strong case that improving cognitive performance is a large and growing market in need of truly effective and safe technology.
Transcranial electrical stimulation has been studied for 30 years as a method to enhance cognitive functions and has received FDA clearance. Humm has developed a consumer-grade wearable patch that gently stimulates the brain’s natural rhythms to strengthen memory by using transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) to target specific oscillations of neural activity in the prefrontal cortex. This technology is based on 30,000 participant trials, with no serious adverse side effects observed. Humm reinvented the form factor from a clunky headset, where most of the neurotech industry remains today, to a disposable BAND-AID(™) like patch, driving down the cost per use to that of a cup of coffee (i.e. $5). In initial studies Humm has demonstrated that 15 minutes of stimulation leads to a 20% improvement in working memory, lasting up to 90 minutes and showing a demonstrable positive impact on people’s cognitive ability, especially for working memory. The company’s first milestone is the launch of their consumer product targeting healthy ageing in 2020. Future products will include cognitive assessments to track improvement over time, enable personalized stimulation and collect long-term data.
Our Thesis
As one of the final frontiers of the body, improving the brain’s capacity to learn has the potential to radically change societies and the nature of work. We believe that Humm’s innovation in form factor, design and cost — while maintaining current output on par with clinical devices — is key to minimize barriers to adoption, scale consumer neurotechnology and democratize access to validated cognitive enhancement, especially for young and old knowledge workers who are increasingly symbiotic with technology in cognitively complex work environments.
By minimizing barriers to adoption in embracing neurotechnology, Humm’s wearable patch could significantly increase the fraction of the world’s population that could benefit from accelerated learning and improved multitasking ability for better cognition for growth, learning and health. If Humm is successful it will provide an effective and safe alternative to the billions being spent today on ineffective solutions. Moreover, Humm’s technology also holds potential for clinical use and is well-positioned for applications in future clinical markets including the treatment of ADHD and Alzheimer’s disease.
We’re thrilled to work with Iain McIntyre, Ahmud Auleear, Tim Fiori and the Humm team. For more details you can read more here.
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